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ABCE1 / ATP-binding cassette sub-family E member 1 · IHC design guide
Design Immunohistochemistry for ABCE1
Plan ABCE1 chromogenic IHC in paraffin sections using 2 μg/ml catalog antibody A04173, as documented for human tissue (datasheet A04173). Assess cytoplasmic staining in glandular or neuronal cells and use skeletal myocytes as a low signal comparison (HPA tissue IHC).
Evidence assembled Oct 2026 · For research use; verify linked source records and product datasheet before use
ABCE1 Immunohistochemistry Experimental Design Guide
Expected localisation, validated protocols, controls and antibodies — the at-a-glance facts below, then the full design guide.
Must know before staining
| Expected localisation | Cytoplasmic staining observed; mitochondrion annotated molecularly (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt) | |
| Staining pattern | Cytoplasmic staining in glandular and neuronal cells (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Antigen retrieval | EDTA pH 8.0 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet A04173) | |
| Positive control | Appendix+4 more · see all | |
| Negative control | Skeletal muscle |
Important caveats
Reasons your staining may differ from the expected pattern.
| Fixation | Keep fixation consistent across sections. (standard IHC practice; not target-specific) | |
| Caveat | Skeletal myocytes are not detected despite broad tissue expression (HPA tissue IHC) | |
| Regulation | No tissue expression regulator annotated (UniProt) | |
| Isoform / epitope | No annotated isoforms or processing; map epitopes to the full chain (UniProt) |
Section 1
Recommended ABCE1 IHC & IF Protocols
The catalog antibody protocol uses EDTA pH 8.0 retrieval (datasheet A04173). The published IHC protocols below cover lung and breast tissue (PMC6125957; PMC4148363).
| Sample | Paraffin-embedded mouse brain tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet A04173) |
| Fixation | Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A04173); verify before use. |
| Sectioning | 4–5 µm sections on charged slides (standard) |
| Deparaffinisation | Xylene, graded ethanol series to water (standard) |
| Antigen retrieval | Heat retrieval: EDTA pH 8.0 (datasheet A04173); 20 min, 95–100 °C (standard) |
| Peroxidase block | 3% H2O2, 10 min, room temperature (standard) |
| Blocking | 10% goat serum (datasheet A04173) |
| Primary antibody | Rabbit anti-ABCE1, 2-5 μg/ml (datasheet A04173) |
| Primary incubation | Overnight at 4 °C (datasheet A04173) |
| Detection | HRP-conjugated secondary, DAB chromogen (datasheet A04173) |
| Counterstain | Hematoxylin, blue, dehydrate and mount (standard) |
| Expected result | ABCE1-positive staining in glandular cells of appendix (HPA tissue IHC: High). HPA tissue profile: General cytoplasmic expression. No signal in the no-primary control. |
💡Decision noteStart with heat-mediated EDTA pH 8.0 retrieval for the catalog antibody (datasheet A04173); consider citrate pH 6.0 during optimization (PMC6125957).
Section 2
What Is the Expected ABCE1 Staining Pattern?
ABCE1 is expected mainly in the cytoplasm: HPA describes general cytoplasmic tissue staining, while UniProt places ABCE1 in the cytoplasm and mitochondrion and reports no transmembrane segment (HPA: tissue IHC; UniProt P61221: location, topology). Strong staining is reported in selected glandular, hematopoietic, and neuronal cells (HPA: High). HPA rates its tissue IHC evidence Approved, with medium consistency between staining and RNA expression (HPA: reliability).
| Cytoplasmic chromogen in appendix, breast, colon, or duodenal glandular cells. | This matches the reported compartment and cell types (HPA: general cytoplasmic expression; High in these glandular cells). Judge intensity against cells within the section; HPA's High category describes its observed staining and is not a promised intensity for every assay (HPA: tissue IHC; general IHC practice). |
| Predominantly nuclear staining, with little cytoplasmic signal. | A nuclear-only pattern does not match the reported cytoplasmic pattern or the enhanced cytosolic ICC-IF location (HPA: tissue IHC; HPA: subcellular). Review counterstain separation and nonspecific detection before calling it ABCE1; UniProt also lists mitochondrion, but that does not support a nuclear-only call (UniProt P61221: location; general IHC practice). |
| Strong staining in skeletal-muscle myocytes. | HPA reports ABCE1 as not detected in these cells, so a strong result warrants checking specificity and endogenous detection activity (HPA: skeletal-muscle myocytes, Not detected; general IHC practice). This comparison is a diagnostic clue, not proof that every myocyte in every preparation must be blank (HPA: tissue IHC reliability). |
| Even chromogen across cells and surrounding tissue, obscuring cell boundaries. | A widespread haze cannot be scored confidently as the reported cellular cytoplasmic pattern (HPA: general cytoplasmic expression). Possible assay background includes incomplete blocking, excess detection reagent, or inadequate washing; evaluate controls and slide morphology before assigning a target signal (general IHC practice). |
| No signal in an expected positive cell population. | Absent staining in, for example, colon glandular cells conflicts with an HPA High observation but alone does not establish loss of ABCE1 (HPA: colon glandular cells, High). Check section quality, assay controls, and the antibody's documented IHC-P conditions before interpreting a biological negative (general IHC practice). |
💡Expected ABCE1 appearanceCall a section positive when interpretable cytoplasmic chromogen is present in expected cells, with strong staining plausible in HPA High glandular, hematopoietic, or neuronal populations; nuclear-only or widespread noncellular color is suspect (HPA: tissue IHC; general IHC practice).
| Compartment and topology | UniProt lists cytoplasm and mitochondrion and reports no transmembrane segment; HPA tissue IHC describes a general cytoplasmic pattern (UniProt P61221: location, topology; HPA: tissue IHC). On a chromogenic section, score the observable cytoplasmic distribution without claiming that routine IHC resolves mitochondrial localisation (general IHC practice). |
| Choice of comparison cells | HPA reports High staining in appendix, breast, colon, and duodenal glandular cells; bone-marrow hematopoietic cells; cerebellar Purkinje cells; and cerebral-cortex neuronal cells (HPA: tissue IHC). It reports skeletal-muscle myocytes as Not detected, and smooth-muscle cells, fibroblasts, and adipocytes as Low (HPA: tissue IHC). |
| Strength of validation | The HPA tissue profile is Approved with medium consistency against RNA expression, while RNA specificity is Low across tissues (HPA: tissue IHC). These summaries support comparison with the reported pattern, but a discrepant experimental stain still needs controls and interpretation in its own section (general IHC practice). |
| IF/ICC Q&A: what localisation is expected? | HPA reports cytosol as the enhanced main ICC-IF location (HPA: subcellular). Its listed antibody HPA036846 has Enhanced ICC validation, whereas CAB012476 has Approved IHC validation (HPA: antibodies). These application labels should be kept distinct when comparing fluorescent cells with a chromogenic tissue section (HPA: antibodies; general IHC practice). |
| Situation | Likely cause | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| No chromogen in a known-positive comparison area. | A run or tissue problem is possible; HPA reports High staining in several glandular populations, including colon glandular cells (HPA: tissue IHC; general IHC practice). | Check section integrity and positive controls, then review retrieval, antibody dilution, and detection against the antibody's documented IHC-P conditions; no ABCE1-specific retrieval setting or dilution is supplied here (general IHC practice). |
| Nuclei appear to be the only positive compartment. | This conflicts with HPA's general cytoplasmic IHC pattern and enhanced cytosolic ICC-IF location (HPA: tissue IHC; HPA: subcellular). | Compare chromogen with the nuclear counterstain, check a no-primary control, and reassess antibody and detection background before scoring (general IHC practice). |
| Skeletal-muscle myocytes stain strongly. | The result differs from HPA's Not detected observation for myocytes; nonspecific binding or endogenous detection activity is possible (HPA: skeletal-muscle myocytes; general IHC practice). | Inspect morphology and no-primary controls, apply detection-system blocking as appropriate, and compare an HPA High cell population in the same run (general IHC practice; HPA: tissue IHC). |
| Diffuse color masks cytoplasmic boundaries. | Assay background may obscure the cellular pattern reported by HPA (HPA: general cytoplasmic expression; general IHC practice). | Review blocking, reagent concentration, wash steps, and detection controls; score only staining that can be assigned to cells (general IHC practice). |
| Some expected cells stain weakly. | HPA's High categories do not specify the intensity of every section or assay, and its IHC profile has medium consistency with RNA data (HPA: tissue IHC). | Compare the weak area with other expected cells and run controls, then assess tissue preservation and documented IHC-P conditions before calling it negative (general IHC practice). |
| A fluorescent cell image seems inconsistent with tissue IHC. | The HPA ICC-IF summary identifies cytosol, while tissue IHC gives a broader cytoplasmic profile; the listed application validations also differ (HPA: subcellular; HPA: tissue IHC; HPA: antibodies). | Interpret each image within its own application and controls; use the ICC-IF result to assess compartment, without treating it as an IHC-P protocol or an expected tissue-intensity scale (general IHC practice). |
Experiment evidence
IHC & IF images showing ABCE1 staining
A04173 · IHCIHC analysis of ABCE1 using anti-ABCE1 antibody (A04173). ABCE1 was detected in a paraffin-embedded section of mouse brain tissue. Heat medi
A04173 · IHCIHC analysis of ABCE1 using anti-ABCE1 antibody (A04173). ABCE1 was detected in a paraffin-embedded section of rat brain tissue. Heat mediat
A04173 · IFIF analysis of ABCE1 using anti-ABCE1 antibody (A04173). ABCE1 was detected in an immunocytochemical section of HELA cells. Enzyme antigen r
PB10020 · IFIF analysis of ABCE1 using anti-ABCE1 antibody (PB10020). ABCE1 was detected in an immunocytochemical section of Hela cells. Enzyme antigen
HPA · Cerebral cortexHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Cerebral cortex. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000164163-ABCE1/tissue/cerebral+cortex#imid_3552540
HPA · ColonHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Colon. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000164163-ABCE1/tissue/colon#imid_3552466
HPA · LiverHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Liver. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000164163-ABCE1/tissue/liver#imid_3552475
HPA · KidneyHuman Protein Atlas IHC, Kidney. Source: https://www.proteinatlas.org/ENSG00000164163-ABCE1/tissue/kidney#imid_3552484
HPA · ICC-IF A-431Human Protein Atlas immunofluorescence, A-431, antibody HPA036846; green = ABCE1, blue = nucleus, red = microtubules.
HPA · ICC-IF A-431Human Protein Atlas immunofluorescence, A-431, antibody HPA036846; green = ABCE1, blue = nucleus, red = microtubules.
← swipe / scroll for more images →
Real IHC / IF data behind the staining-pattern expectations in this section.
Sample controls for ABCE1 IHC & IF
🧪Run appendix first and require staining in its glandular cells (HPA: High in appendix glandular cells). Run skeletal muscle as the negative tissue, where myocytes should lack detectable staining (HPA: Not detected in skeletal muscle myocytes); on the appendix slide, treat cells outside the glandular compartment as internal comparisons only if they show little or no signal, rather than assuming they are ABCE1-negative.
Positive control tissue: Appendix (Glandular cells, HPA High)
Negative control tissue: Skeletal muscle (HPA Not detected)
ICC-IF cell lines (HPA subcellular resource): HPA ICC-IF images show ABCE1 in A-431, U-251MG, U2OS, HEK293, U2OS, siRNA 2 (10x), U2OS, scrambled (10x), U2OS, siRNA 1 (10x), with annotated localisation: Cytosol (enhanced) (HPA subcellular).
Technical controls: Include a no-primary, secondary-only slide, a host- and clonality-matched isotype control, and an ABCE1 knockout biological control if available (standard IHC controls). Block endogenous peroxidase before HRP/DAB detection and assess background in appendix tissue (caption: HRP/DAB detection in paraffin-embedded mouse brain; standard IHC practice).
⚠️Feasibility: A target-specific fixation window or fixation effect is unreported, and the selected A04173 tissue-IHC caption does not state the fixative (caption: fixative unreported). The caption uses heat retrieval in EDTA at pH 8.0, but does not establish that retrieval is required; the evidence also does not establish that frozen sections or IF are easier (caption: EDTA retrieval; HPA: cytosol in ICC-IF). In appendix, distinguish cellular cytoplasmic signal from luminal or diffuse background when scoring glandular cells (HPA: High in appendix glandular cells; HPA: cytosol in ICC-IF).
HPA tissue IHC evidence for ABCE1
Comprehensive Human Protein Atlas IHC scoring per tissue (reliability: Approved — Medium consistency between antibody staining and RNA expression data.). Rows are taken directly from the HPA tissue chart — click any row's HPA link to view the source.
Positive expression · recommended positive controls
| Tissue | Cell type | Level | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appendix | Glandular cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Bone marrow | Hematopoietic cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Breast | Glandular cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Cerebellum | Purkinje cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
| Cerebral cortex | Neuronal cells | High | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
Undetected expression · recommended negative controls
| Tissue | Cell type | Level | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skeletal muscle | Myocytes | Not detected | Protein (IHC) | HPA → |
Section 3
Advanced ABCE1 IHC Tips
Use the catalog antibody’s paraffin-section workflow as the IHC starting point, then judge staining against ABCE1’s expected cytoplasmic distribution (datasheet A04173; HPA tissue IHC).
Which retrieval conditions should I try first for ABCE1 in paraffin sections?
Start with heat-mediated retrieval in EDTA at pH 8.0 for paraffin sections (datasheet A04173). The selected tissue-IHC example used that condition before 10% goat-serum blocking and 2 μg/ml primary antibody overnight at 4°C (datasheet A04173). If staining is weak, compare a small retrieval time series on adjacent sections while keeping antibody concentration and DAB development constant (standard IHC practice). Excessive retrieval can damage morphology or increase diffuse signal, so score both staining and tissue preservation against a matched control (standard IHC practice). Expect predominantly cytoplasmic staining when judging whether retrieval improved specificity (HPA tissue IHC).
How should I troubleshoot variable ABCE1 staining caused by specimen fixation?
The selected paraffin-section caption does not report its fixative, so ABCE1-specific fixation sensitivity is unknown (datasheet A04173). Record the fixative, fixation duration, specimen thickness and processing history for every block before attributing a weak result to antigen loss (standard IHC practice). Compare adjacent sections processed together using the documented EDTA pH 8.0 retrieval and 2 μg/ml antibody conditions (datasheet A04173; standard IHC practice). Keep DAB development and counterstaining consistent, then assess cytoplasmic signal alongside morphology and background (HPA tissue IHC; standard IHC practice). Do not use differences between specimens to infer a target-specific fixation effect without a controlled comparison (standard IHC practice).
Where should ABCE1 staining appear, and how should I assess unexpected nuclear signal?
Expect a general cytoplasmic IHC pattern, with cytosol reported as the main enhanced subcellular location (HPA tissue IHC; HPA subcellular). UniProt also lists mitochondrion, but that annotation alone does not establish a distinct mitochondrial pattern in chromogenic sections (UniProt P61221 subcellular). ABCE1 has no annotated transmembrane segment, so a crisp cell-surface rim warrants closer scrutiny (UniProt P61221 topology). Check whether apparent nuclear signal follows section folds, crowded cells or heavy counterstaining, using matched negative controls and the same exposure to DAB (standard IHC practice). Resolve persistent nuclear staining with an independently validated reagent or orthogonal evidence before assigning it to ABCE1 (standard IHC practice).
Can isoforms or epitope accessibility explain inconsistent ABCE1 IHC staining?
UniProt lists 0 isoforms and a single 1–599 chain, so annotated isoform switching is not an established explanation for discordant staining (UniProt P61221 processing and isoforms). The supplied caption gives no antibody epitope location, which limits predictions about which region retrieval exposes (datasheet A04173). ABCE1 contains two N-terminal iron–sulfur domains and two ABC transporter domains, with phosphorylation annotated at residues 417 and 550 (UniProt P61221 domains and modified residues). Those annotations do not establish that either modification changes this antibody’s binding in paraffin sections (UniProt P61221 modified residues; datasheet A04173). Compare controlled retrieval conditions and, if needed, an independently characterized epitope before claiming an epitope-specific effect (standard IHC practice).
How can I follow up a cytoplasmic ABCE1 IHC pattern with multiplex IF?
Use IF as a separate validation experiment: the selected antibody evidence describes paraffin-section chromogenic IHC, while HPA reports cytosolic ICC/IF localisation (datasheet A04173; HPA subcellular). Multiplex ABCE1 with a validated marker for the cell population being assessed, and confirm each channel separately before interpreting overlap (standard IF practice). Choose spectrally separated fluorophores and place the weaker signal in a channel with low specimen autofluorescence (standard IF practice). ABCE1 has no transmembrane segment and is reported in the cytosol, so permeabilisation should permit access to an intracellular epitope (UniProt P61221 topology; HPA subcellular). Because this antibody’s epitope and IF fixation response are unspecified, establish fixation and permeabilisation conditions empirically with appropriate controls (datasheet A04173; standard IF practice).
What should I check when ABCE1 DAB staining looks diffuse or granular?
First compare the signal with a no-primary control and inspect endogenous peroxidase activity before interpreting brown deposits as ABCE1 (standard IHC practice). The documented example used 10% goat serum, a peroxidase-conjugated secondary and DAB development; those are workflow details, not proof that every deposit is target-specific (datasheet A04173). Titrate around the documented 2 μg/ml primary condition and hold retrieval and DAB development constant during the comparison (datasheet A04173; standard IHC practice). Evaluate granular deposits against tissue pigment, necrosis, folds and section edges under the counterstain (standard IHC practice). A broad cytoplasmic pattern is plausible, but staining should remain anatomically coherent and exceed matched controls (HPA tissue IHC; standard IHC practice).
How should I score ABCE1 staining across paraffin sections? ⚠ ANSWER MARKED FOR VERIFICATION
Define the cell population and cytoplasmic compartment before scoring, because HPA describes general cytoplasmic expression with variation among cell types (HPA tissue IHC). For categorical intensity, record the percentage of cells at each level and calculate an H-score from 0–300; alternatively report percentage positive cells or positive-cell density per mm² (standard IHC practice). Normalize counts to the number of evaluable cells or measured viable tissue area, and apply the same threshold across batches (standard IHC practice). Exclude folds, necrosis and section edges by prespecified rules, while retaining the underlying image for review (standard IHC practice). Report antibody, retrieval and DAB settings alongside scores to make comparisons interpretable (datasheet A04173; standard IHC practice).
How do I distinguish true ABCE1 positivity from staining artefacts?
Look for cytoplasmic staining in intact cells; HPA reports a general cytoplasmic pattern, and UniProt lists cytoplasm and mitochondrion (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt P61221 subcellular). HPA reports high staining in cerebellar Purkinje cells and cerebral-cortex neuronal cells, while skeletal-muscle myocytes were not detected in its tissue survey (HPA tissue IHC). Treat an isolated nuclear pattern, a sharp membrane rim, edge-only staining or deposits over necrosis as findings requiring controls and review (HPA subcellular; UniProt P61221 topology; standard IHC practice). Use a no-primary control and peroxidase blocking to assess nonspecific DAB signal from endogenous enzyme activity (standard IHC practice). HPA labels its tissue-IHC evidence Approved with medium consistency against RNA expression, so interpret discrepancies with that limitation in mind (HPA tissue IHC).
Boster reagents
Best ABCE1 / ATP-binding cassette sub-family E member 1 IHC Antibodies
A04173 has paraffin-section IHC images from mouse and rat brain and human testis; A04173 and PB10020 have HeLa-cell IF images (catalog image captions).
Real IHC data
Anti-ABCE1 Antibody ®
Cat # A04173
Real IF data
Anti-ABCE1 Antibody ®
Cat # PB10020
A04173 will render with a mouse brain paraffin-section IHC figure; its other captions show rat brain and human testis IHC and HeLa-cell IF (A04173 image captions). PB10020 will render with a HeLa-cell IF figure and lists IF/ICC applications, with no IHC application listed (PB10020 image caption; catalog applications).
Which to pick: Choose A04173 for tissue IHC: its paraffin-section captions document EDTA retrieval at pH 8.0 and primary antibody at 2 μg/ml; the fixative is unreported (A04173 IHC image captions). Choose PB10020 for IF/ICC based on its HeLa-cell IF image and IF/ICC application listing (PB10020 image caption; catalog applications). For cross-species tissue IHC, A04173 has image evidence in mouse, rat and human samples (A04173 IHC image captions); both rendered antibodies list human, mouse and rat reactivity, and neither has a reported clone (catalog reactivity and clone fields).
Each figure is that product's own IHC / IF validation image from its datasheet.
References
- UniProt Consortium. UniProt entry P61221 (ABCE1_HUMAN, ATP-binding cassette sub-family E member 1).
- Human Protein Atlas. ABCE1 tissue IHC expression (reliability: Approved).
- Human Protein Atlas. ABCE1 subcellular location (ICC-IF): Localized to the cytosol..
- Human Protein Atlas. ABCE1 antibody validation summary (2 antibodies).
- The expression and correlation between chemokine CCL7 and ABCE1 in non-small cell lung cancer. Experimental and therapeutic medicine 2018 — PMC6125957.
- siRNA‑induced ABCE1 silencing inhibits proliferation and invasion of breast cancer cells. Molecular medicine reports 2014 — PMC4148363.
- ABCE1 facilitates tumour progression via aerobic glycolysis and inhibits cell death in human colorectal cancer cells through the p53 signalling pathway. Scientific reports 2025 — PMC12241330.
- PubMed PMID:7539425 — UniProt-cited evidence.
- PubMed PMID:8641422 — UniProt-cited evidence.
- PubMed PMID:15489334 — UniProt-cited evidence.
Immunohistochemistry protocol sheet for ABCE1 (ATP-binding cassette sub-family E member 1). Expected localisation Cytoplasmic staining observed; mitochondrion annotated molecularly (HPA tissue IHC; UniProt). Antigen retrieval: EDTA pH 8.0 HIER, heat-mediated (datasheet A04173). Validated IHC antibody: A04173 at 2-5 μg/ml (the product's own IHC validation image is shown). Controls (HPA): positive Appendix (Glandular cells); negative Skeletal muscle. IHC-P workflow on paraffin sections; fixative unspecified. Protocol steps: 1. Sample: Paraffin-embedded mouse brain tissue; fixative not specified (datasheet A04173); 2. Fixation: Image fixative and duration unreported (datasheet A04173); verify before use.; 3. Sectioning: 4–5 µm sections on charged slides (standard); 4. Deparaffinisation: Xylene, graded ethanol series to water (standard); 5. Antigen retrieval: Heat retrieval: EDTA pH 8.0 (datasheet A04173); 20 min, 95–100 °C (standard); 6. Peroxidase block: 3% H2O2, 10 min , room temperature (standard); 7. Blocking: 10% goat serum (datasheet A04173); 8. Primary antibody: Rabbit anti-ABCE1, 2-5 μg/ml (datasheet A04173); 9. Primary incubation: Overnight at 4 °C (datasheet A04173). Watch for: Fixation: Keep fixation consistent across sections. (standard IHC practice; not target-specific); Caveat: Skeletal myocytes are not detected despite broad tissue expression (HPA tissue IHC); Isoform / epitope: No annotated isoforms or processing; map epitopes to the full chain (UniProt); Regulation: No tissue expression regulator annotated (UniProt). Evidence: UniProt P61221, HPA tissue IHC · Approved, HPA ICC-IF · cytosol., Datasheet A04173, PMC6125957, PMC4148363. QR code links to https://www.bosterbio.com/bosterbio-gene-info-cards/ABCE1/immunohistochemistry-ihc-guide.